Winter Works 2007/2008
By contrast to 2006/2007 we don't have one big job planned for the 2007/2008 winter works season, instead a number of smaller tasks which will improve the overall reliability and ease of use of the railway, as ever these are documented below and this page will be updated with photos as the winter progresses:
- Additional carriage storage facility at Bentley Central with headshunt
- Removal of Bentley Central loop connecting chord - Complete
- Addition of a 5" rail to some roads of existing Horsted yard shed - Complete
- Improvements to Bentley Central Signal Box for ease of use and access
- Relaying track on exit from Bentley Central Station - Complete
9 Mar 2008 - Works progressing well, Bentley Central Signal Box was returned to service today with just a few minor items to complete. The new diamond crossing was completed last weekend and tested today, the access to the new carriage storage facility is also nearing completion.
13 Feb 2008 - An extra works party today laid the new concrete edging in around the track mentioned below and landscaped the surround as you can see below.
10 Feb 2008 - Today we finally got the missing track section reinstated, just three weeks to remove, resleeper, re-ballast and relay this length of track and point is an excellent display of teamwork by all involved. As you can see in the photos below, we finished the day with a celebratory run of the Trams "Lord Barry" and "Lady Helen" over the reinstated track section
3 Feb 2008 - Another good works day today, Lady Helen and Lord Barry are now functioning together as-one unit providing a regular shuttle from Bentley Central to Glyndebourne Wood and return whilst the track works at the exit of Bentley Central continue apace. These points have now been resleepered and the mechanisms uprated, the trackside signal box has been relocated and much of the ballast has been sorted and reused as necessary with the new trackbed taking form.
20 Jan 2008 - "Lady Helen" has now started running the winter shuttle service, currently alone due to continuing electrical difficulties. Meanwhile the track gang have been busy as you can see in the photos below, all the best winter projects start with a scene of destruction and this years doesn't fail on that front. The two points have now been removed and resleepered whilst the signal box renovations are also showing progress.
6 Jan 2008 - Work has been somewhat slow over the Christmas & New Year break, especially because of severe technical difficulties getting the two trams "Lady Helen" and "Lord Barry" to operate together electrically.
16 Dec 2007 - The new point for the revised carriage storage is now laid in as can be seen from the photo below. We also witnessed the first tentative movements of a new engine, "Lord Barry" which has been built by some club members to work in formation with "Lady Helen" and will hopefully be in full passenger service in a few weeks time. This can be seen in the first photo sequence below under the watchful eye of our guard dog!
Early Nov 2007 - the new wooden carriage storage structure is in place awaiting the internal fitments, track and doors. The connecting chord's track has be lifted with some of the new alignment starting to be visible, the existing signal box bridge and paving has been removed and new fencing and paving is starting to take shape.
Summer 2007
To provide some shelter for some of our carriages & wagons we are building a lightweight structure adjacent to Bentley Central Station, we hope to have the mainly complete in time for Weald WoodFair in September. Meanwhile the normal grounds maintenance works continue, especially in the cutting area - the below photo shows the volume of brambles and nettles cleared from a small section of cutting bank over just one weekend.
For details of previous engineering works, please see our archive.